Watching
by Yayforgredandforge
Summary: She likes watching him. A series of drabbles, each told from the point of view of a different woman of the hp universe. Victoire Weasley and Teddy Lupin are the lucky second couple.
1. Lily and James

_A while back I wrote a short drabble called "Reading," in which Sirius described how he likes watching Remus when he reads. The idea for this series came from that, although this time I decided that I would focus on the women of the Harry Potter series. I plan to write drabbles for several women, each focusing on something unique that they like watching their significant others do. Lily Evans and James Potter are the lucky couple who get to go first._

_And what would this be without the Disclaimer? I own nothing, of course.

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I like watching Ja—_Potter_ when he talks his friends. Wait, did I just say that I like something that Potter does? That came out wrong. What I _mean_ to say is that sometimes, like when he talks to his friends, for example, Potter seems a little less arrogant, not so egotistical, and maybe somewhat less pig-headed. Astounding, I know. How can such a thing be possible when the boy in question is the one who has been the ever-so-constant pain at my side, the bane of my existence, and my _raison de_ wanting to off myself, for the past seven years of my life? How can it be possible that I, Lily Evans, the girl who has never failed to say no to James Potter, the girl who has never been afraid to put him in his place, can possibly _like _something, _anything_, that he does?

Well, the thing is, he just seems _different_ when he talks to his friends. Don't get me wrong, there are times when he is the same old Potter as he and his friends have a conversation, but, I've noticed those are times when he feels like he has an audience, when he knows that other people, especially me, are watching him. It is during these times that, while I find myself severely annoyed with Potter, I also feel most at ease, because, well, hating Potter is what I've always done, and it is much easier to accept those feelings than some, ahem, _other_ feelings that I may or may not have begun to experience when thinking about James. I mean Potter. Oh dear.

Sometimes, when he and his friends are off in the corner of the common room, or sitting far along the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, I see a different side of Potter. This Potter isn't acting or trying to impress anyone. No, this is a Potter who genuinely listens to what his friends have to say, a Potter who contributes meaningful things to the conversation, and a Potter who is just completely foreign to the boy that he presents to the rest of the world. This is a Potter that I could consider getting to know. This is a Potter that I could consider calling James.

Last night, as I sat in the Gryffindor common room working on my Defense Against the Dark Arts essay, I noticed Potter and his friends sitting in the corner on the opposite side of the room. Seeing as how it was beginning to get rather late, there were few students around, mainly just fifth year O.W.L. students and fellow seventh-year N.E.W.T. students. The situation was right for one of the rare times in which I could see this other side of Potter. Not that I am constantly waiting for these times, or anything. That is not it at all. I think.

From the angle at which I sat, Potter's face was slightly obstructed by Remus Lupin, the only Marauder who I could say that I could genuinely call a friend. I oftentimes wonder how such an intelligent, kind, and caring boy could be friends with people like Potter and Sirius Black, but he assures me that I just don't know them properly, that they are different people without an audience. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm beginning to think that Remus is right. He usually is correct about everything, after all. In order to see if I could prove his theory correct for myself, I scooted my chair slightly to the right so that I could have a better view of Potter's face, while still looking as if I was working diligently on my essay.

I sat too far away to hear what they were saying, but the words didn't matter. All that I needed to know could be read on Potter's face. He was staring intently at Remus. It seemed as if Potter was trying to get Remus to talk about something, something that was bothering him. I know that Remus had been worrying about his life after Hogwarts as our seventh year progressed, and perhaps this is what they were discussing. While I felt for Remus, I also couldn't help but to feel distracted by Potter. He looked completely different from how I had ever seen him; his eyes were filled with compassion, with loyalty, and with a peculiar kind of fire. Even from where I sat across the room, I could tell that this was a boy who would do anything for his friends, that this was a boy who his friends could depend on. I understood then that the Gryffindor bravery that James possessed went beyond having the guile to prank Professor McGonagall, but included the bravery to open himself up fully to his friends, and to express himself to them in a way that I never would have guessed he could.

I couldn't help but to stare, my essay long forgotten, as Potter continued to talk to Remus. I wondered if those eyes, his expression, his loyalty would ever be directed toward me. It was at that moment, as I watched him give a small smile and say something that caused Remus to grin widely, that I decided that maybe it wasn't too horrible to like James Potter a little bit. Just a little bit. Perhaps, if I only let him, maybe he would let the James Potter usually reserved only for his friends meet me. Maybe it was time for me to give James, yes _James_, a chance_._

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What do you think? I would really appreciate a review. Let me know if there are any couples you particularly want to see. Although I can tell you that Victoire Weasley and Teddy Lupin will be next._


	2. Victoire and Teddy

_Here we go again, this time with Victoire Weasley and Teddy Lupin. And, we musn't forget, another Disclaimer for another chapter: alas, nothing belongs to me._

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I like watching Teddy change his appearance when he doesn't know that anyone is looking. He practices in front of the mirror, trying out different looks. He would probably flush a deep red with hair to match if he knew that I know that he does this, but really, I could not think of anything more endearing. I can remember each and every time that I have seen him do this, and each time I think my love for him has grown.

I can remember being eight years old, and Teddy was ten. Everyone in my family, including my brother, sister, parents, and my aunts, uncles, and baby cousins were at Granddad and Grandmum Weasley's. Teddy had come with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny. Being close in age, we frequently played together, but as the hours of this day wore on, I recognized that something was bothering Teddy. He seemed upset, and wandered off to be by himself. It was later that I found him in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, with the door slightly ajar. He didn't see me, and somehow I knew, even though I was young, that I shouldn't bother him.

I watched as he slowly studied his face, his hair, his eyes—were those tears?—in the mirror. I considered going in, but then his hair turned from his customary turquoise to a vibrant, flaming red. The Weasley trademark. His skin became spotted with freckles, and his eyes turned brown. He looked like he could have been one of my own cousins. But Teddy only sighed, and frowned at his own reflection. Suddenly, he had silvery blond hair, just like mine, and he very much resembled my younger brother Louis. But apparently Teddy didn't like this either, for soon his hair went from fair to jet black. It was messy, just like Uncle Harry's and my other young cousins'. He changed his eyes to a bright, vibrant green as well. It occurred to me then, as a child, that even though it always seemed like Teddy was part of the family, there was a part of him that felt like an outsider. I vowed then to always make him feel like he belonged, like he was a Weasley, or a Potter, while still allowing him to remain very much a Lupin.

I can also remember being twelve years old, when Teddy was fourteen. We were home for the summer holidays, and I had just finished my first year at Hogwarts. It was right at the beginning of summer, not long after the anniversary of the Downfall of Voldemort. Perhaps the Battle of Hogwarts had been on Teddy's mind. I could always tell that it was around this time, when he was reminded so forcefully of the event that killed his parents, that he often missed them the most.

My family and I had just arrived at Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's, and I knew that Teddy was staying with them for a while, so I went upstairs to the room that was designated as his many years ago. It was just like back when I was eight and he was ten: the door was slightly ajar, and he stood in front of a mirror, studying his reflection, searching his features, almost as if he was lost. I watched as his eyes flicked to a photo of his mother and father that he kept in a frame on a dresser nearby. His hair slowly became a soft, tawny brown, with noticeable streaks of grey. His eyes came a warm amber, and his skin went paler, and, I noticed, even appeared to obtain several scars. He was the spitting image of the Remus Lupin that I knew only from photographs. I felt for Teddy, I really did, and my heart went out for him. I could never imagine what it would be like to not remember my parents, to have lost them and only know them through the pictures and memories of others. As I watched Teddy smile sadly at himself in the mirror, I vowed that I would make sure that Teddy always felt loved, and that even though we may not be related by blood, that he would always feel as if he were a part of our family.

Finally, I can remember being nineteen, when Teddy was twenty-one. It was the middle of December, cold and snowy with the wind howling outside, but I felt absolutely wonderful, warmed from the fact that it was the day of our wedding. It was the day that I would become Teddy Lupin's wife, and he would become my husband. It was just a small affair, with only family in attendance, but still, I could tell that Teddy was nervous.

I left the room where I was supposed to be waiting for the ceremony to begin in search of my soon-to-be-husband. I found him, alone in the room where he was to be getting ready, once again studying his appearance in the mirror. This time though, it was not sadness or loneliness that he expressed, but simply nervousness. I watched as his hair rapidly changed shades and styles. Elegant black, shaggy blond, neatly trimmed brown. He seemed to be unable to decide on a proper appearance for his wedding. Suddenly, however, I saw his eyes light up, and a small smile graced his features. I watched as his eyes turned amber, just like those of Remus Lupin. I then had to fight back a laugh as his hair turned a vibrant bubblegum pink, short and spiky, just like the customary style that I often saw in pictures of Nymphadora Tonks, Teddy's mother.

This time, I decided that I would make my presence known. I pushed open the door, wide enough so that I could enter the room. I smiled at Teddy in the mirror, and he turned to face me, grinning sheepishly.

"What do you think?" he asked, indicating his appearance.

"I think it's wonderful. Just like they're here."

I slid my hand into his and stood on my toes to give him a small kiss. Even though I knew that minutes later we would make our official wedding vows, I wanted to let Teddy know, through this small intimate moment, that I would always love him, and that together we would create our own family.


End file.
